During every celebration of the Holy Eucharist in the Episcopal Church, one of the priests pronounces a quote from Holy Scripture that serves to transition the liturgy from “Word” to “Table.” This is known as the Offertory Sentence. By far, my favorite Offertory Sentence is a quote from Ephesians 5:2, “Walk in love as Christ loved us and gave himself for us, an offering and sacrifice to God.”
I love the quote because it seamlessly rolls of the tongue, but also because of the universal truth about the life of faith to which it points. Each of us is living a unique journey of faith, filled with both blessings and challenges. None of us can fully understand or appreciate the experience of another traveler on the way. As such, we should never presume to know what someone else is going through, but rather walk with them together in love, offering prayer and support. This step is probably obvious to most of us most of the time. Yet, what would it mean to understand our hours and days here and now as fragrant offerings to a God who knows, understands, and sustains us?
This weekend, we will see volunteers offering their time to plant trees that will enhance our community and all of Creation. We will also hear music offered in gratitude for relationship. What might each of us offer this day at this time and in this place?